Doing Better

In Sunday’s Week @ A Glance, we shared an update that Sarah Bruce is taking some time away for personal reasons, and that I will take on the role of Greenwood’s Acting Principal for the coming weeks. Our staff will continue to deliver a positive, engaging and supportive experience for all students, and there are no changes to how we proceed with our day-to-day classes and activities.

Last week, our school values were tested as we all had to deal with an act of hate – an act of antisemitism through the defacing of a poster that was meant to promote love and kindness. We should all feel angry, disappointed and saddened that an antisemitic act took place in our school. At Greenwood, we take our zero-tolerance policy towards any act of antisemitism very seriously.

We have heard from students and parents/guardians about how we managed the situation and we have learned that we can do better in how we communicate, what we communicate, and how we approach events that are both unacceptable and make any student feel unsafe, unwelcome or threatened. 

I am grateful to the students who spoke to us last week. Many students spoke to Sarah Bruce, Principal; Anthony Costa, Dean of Students; Shai Kohen, Social Worker; and Rachael Brownell-Swain, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach, as well as to me or another trusted adult, to tell them how they are feeling. Over the next few weeks, several senior leaders at the school will make time available for any student to come and share their thoughts and suggestions. It is important to us that our students have a voice and feel safe at school. 

Several staff members and I have met with parents and guardians over the past week and will continue to engage in these individual meetings throughout December. These discussions have provided us with constructive feedback about our approaches and how to strengthen our processes. Greenwood’s staff members will work together to use this feedback to enhance our commitment to combating antisemitism.

We plan to form an Antisemitism Working Group in the days ahead to help us work through our current situation and make suggestions for the future. We have made note of the feedback given to us by parents/guardians and groups of students early last week, and will continue to do so through the student conversations we are currently hosting. This feedback will be given to the working group to ensure that parent/guardian and student voices are at the core of our strategy to move forward.

We continue to work with the police throughout their investigation. We will share any information we can about this investigation as it becomes available; however, please understand that there are privacy and confidentiality requirements that we must follow, and there may be some details we cannot share as a result.

Again, I want to stress that we are serious and unyielding about our zero-tolerance policy with any act that violates our code of conduct and values. We are truly grateful to the students and families who have spoken to school leaders to provide us with feedback to help our community grow. I know that we can work together to support our community through what has been a very challenging time